1. Field of the Invention
The apparatus relates to agricultural harvesting machines and more particularly to apparatus for automatically regulating a crop discharge spout thereon with respect to a trailing storage wagon.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When operating an agricultural machine having a discharge spout through which the harvested crop is directed into a wagon trailing therebehind, it becomes necessary at various times, such as when maneuvering around corners, to redirect the discharge spout so that the harvested crop is continually directed into the wagon. Traditionally, this task has been performed by one of two basic methods. The first requires the operator to manually align the discharge spout by turning a crank in the appropriate direction. The crank is coupled to a worm gear which positions the discharge spout in response to the rotation of the crank.
A second traditional method comprises a switch and a bidirectional electromechanical unit which is coupled to the discharge spout. The operator, when maneuvering around a corner, actuates the switch until the discharge spout is aligned properly.
The foregoing traditional methods are obviously limited by the fact that both require the attention and concentration of the operator at a particularly undesirable time. Specifically, both require the operator to look back and follow the operation of the discharge spout when substantial concentration is required to maneuver the agricultural machine around a corner thereby creating a safety hazard in addition to inefficient operation.
More recently, automatic spout control systems have appeared. One such system employs a completely mechanical means for positioning the discharge spout in response to the movement of the wagon. However, such a method is not only expensive but also limits the mechanical design of the harvesting machine.
Another such system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,786,945 entitled "Spout Control System", in the name of Dean Symonds. In this system, a large coil of wire is wrapped around the trailing wagon and is energized with an alternating current to produce a magnetic field. A signal coil is mounted on the discharge spout and situated such that its axis is perpendicular to the axis of the coil of wire wrapped around the wagon. In this orientation, minimum coupling is effected between the two coils. When a deviation from this alignment occurs, more substantial coupling of energy between the coils is effected and is detected by a phase detecting circuit. The output from the phase detecting circuit is coupled through an amplifier to an electro-hydraulic unit which positions the spout accordingly. The foregoing is, however, limited by the cost of the apparatus and the fact that an active electronic unit is required on the wagon in addition to that incorporated in the harvesting machine.